Monday, March 31, 2014

Room 20 Classroom Notes March 31-April 4

Good Week! I hope you had a relaxing spring break. This week we will finish up our research projects and turn in our graphic novel book reports. In math, we finish fractions and begin decimals. In reading, some of our novel groups are selecting new books. We are also coming up with vocabulary words and comprehension questions and sharing among group members. We read an interview with an astronaut and work on words from the interview. We are finishing writing up our science work samples. We will also have Science Fair materials going home soon. The Science Fair is an at-home project. More to come. ***Please make sure your camp information and money is in ASAP! We need everyone's help to make this a fluid operation. I am still awaiting a response from the Johnson Creek Watershed Council to confirm our creek field study for April. If you are still interested in chaperoning and helping out, please contact me now. State math testing will begin the week of April 21st. We will take reading the week of May 5th, and Science the week after camp (the week of May 19th). The fifth grade will be visiting Sellwood Middle School on April 18th. I hope you all are well!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Room 20 Classroom Notes March 17-21

Good Week!
This week we will deliver our speeches. We will also continue working on our research projects. These are self-selected topics and we have come up with three important questions about the topic. In reading, we will compare and contrast using Venn Diagrams two articles about women's history. We will also do some reader's theater about women's history. In math, we will continue our investigation with fractions, particularly common denominators. We will begin decimals after the break. Speaking of after spring break, we will be presenting our graphic novel book reports the first week back. This will be similar to the fiction newspaper we previously created. In Social Studies, I want you at home to start discussing early American history from European, Native American, and slave perspectives. What do you already know? Our study during spring will be Jamestown and eventually learning about the colonies and pre-Revolutionary War America. Later this spring, we will be reading a wonderful book called, "Woodsrunner." Please do not read yet! This Friday, we will be having our Read-A-Ton in the afternoon. All afternoon. Bring your favorite snuggle gear and plenty of books!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Quick Check In With Words

Research Questions

FOOD CHAIN AND FOOD WEB WEBSITES
A. Read the information on this website:
1.  What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
B. Read the website and answer the questions afterwards:
Make sure you click on the link “interconnected food chains” so you can play and make a food web, too.
1.  Why are there more herbivores than carnivores?
2.   Why do most food chains have at most 4 or 5 links?
C. Answer all of the questions on "Identify the Food Chains"
Write the answers on a separate piece of paper.
D. Play all the games on
E. Do all 4 "Build your own food web" on

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Room 20 Classroom Notes March 10-14

Greetings! This week, we will continue to develop our Taiko musicianship Monday through Wednesday. On Wednesday, we will be performing at 2:00 for the other Taiko groups at Lewis and anyone who would like to come support our classroom and school. It will be located in the gym. I am formulating our next trip down to Tideman Station Johnson Creek to be good stewards of our watershed. If you would like to be a part of this excursion, please let me know. I am preparing to depart right after spring break; think early April. The students will be giving their speeches starting on Monday, March 17th. I want students to be "off book." I will be giving them several sessions to memorize their persuasive essays so they know it backwards and forwards. We also have discussed what good presenters do: eye contact, confidence, volume, pace. I will not be at school on Wednesday or Thursday. I will be taking part in a conference with Intel based on technology and education at Intel's campus. I am very excited to be a part of it, considering we have so much technology at our school. Needless to say, no homework club this week. In math, we will be going into a new unit that delves deeper into fractions and decimals. In reading, some novel groups will be shifting to a new novel. We will also be reading our selection of the week: "The Three Century Woman." We will explore humorous fiction and activating prior knowledge as our reading strategy. We started collecting data on our science experiment about flight. This week we will write up our findings and create a spreadsheet and graph to notice any trends. We are also growing bacteria in an incubator we borrowed from Reed College. Yes, just a normal week of learning in room 20!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Reading This Week

I updated our Reading assignments for this week:

Reading: 

1. Finish working with words of the week. 

2. Read "The Gymnast" and do assessment. 

3. Read newsela.com article on Ukraine and do FQR. 

4. Do another FQR on your choice. All of this is due Friday.

*****MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OFF WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED!

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Room 20 Classroom Notes March 3-7

I had a great time at the Talent Show! We also have the Lewis Family Dance this Friday, at which "The Lonesome Teacher Trio and Friends" will be performing dance tunes to get your toes tapping. Please consider coming! This week, we finish up our first fractions unit. We will have a test in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday. We will continue working with fractions more in-depth (multiplying and dividing) and decimals in our next unit. We will review math on Tuesday. In writing, we are finishing up our persuasive pieces and turning them into speeches. It is very important for our kids to practice at home. Speeches will begin on March 17th and will be a scored state work sample. Our classroom calendar is now connected to our blog (I was having problems bringing it up previously). We begin Portland Taiko on Friday, a tremendous opportunity for the kids. Check out more at http://portlandtaiko.dreamhosters.com/. I sent information about our next book report last week. It will be due the week before spring break and will be presented. The genre is graphic novels. Students should begin creating their final presentation products at home. The handout gives the myriad of ways to present. Pick one, and begin! In science, we continue with our flight experiments. This week, we will change variables of our choosing and write up and graph our results. Please check the blog for daily assignments and homework. We will have a Read-A-Thon (called Read-A-Ton!) that will take place the day before spring break. Students are getting information for sponsors and a reading ledger (reading log). This will help students who need a full or partial scholarship for our camp this year! Let me know if you have not received this information. On Thursday, please bring in one or several types of paper/tin foil/tissue paper for a science experiment with paper airplanes. We need as many kinds of paper to test flights made of different materials. I hope you have a wonderful week!